Is Dunn The Best Hitter In Chicago?
Adam Dunn was one of the biggest free agents on the market over the offseason. The expectation is for him to come in and immediately improve the Chicago White Sox offense.
And there's reason to believe that's exactly what he'll do.
"PECOTA really thinks that Adam Dunn is going to do really well," Colin Wyers, of Baseball Prospectus, said on the Jason Goff Show. PECOTA is a Sabermetric that measures the expected production for a player based on the the history of similar players.
LISTEN: Colin Wyers On The Jason Goff Show
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"[Dunn] is projected as probably the best hitter in Chicago next year, on either side of town," Wyers said. "We have a stat called true average, which is on the batting average scale. It takes into account everything a player does at the plate, including hitting for power [and] taking walks. Dunn leads all Chicago players with a .303 true average."
It's clear that acquiring Dunn was a big priority for the White Sox. He'll add a power hitter to the middle of the White Sox lineup and fill a void that the team had last season.
"The White Sox had a big hole in their lineup last year because they let Jim Thome walk," Wyers said. "But they really went out and filled it this offseason. So they've added a lot of firepower to their lineup."
On the other side of town, the Chicago Cubs are also projected to get good production out of their biggest offseason acquisition.
"[Matt Garza] is one of the guys that could very well be the ace of that Cubs rotation," Wyers said. "And they gave up a lot to get him."